7'2" in the surf

I finally managed to get my hands on the Valley Rush 7'2" surf kayak and some surf today. When I got in the water the conditions were great, a couple of foot and clean, not a breath of wind and as if that wasn't enough there were only two other guys out back. Result!





My first impressions of the boat were good. It paddled well and was comfy, but when I got it on a wave it was awesome! Being shorter than other kayaks and ski's than I've paddled I noticed that it was a bit harder to get onto waves sometimes, I had to wait till they were steeper and a bit more critical, but once going it was something else. Being shorter and wider in the tail than it's Rush stable mates, it felt looser and slashier, far more like my waveski.







When making cutbacks it drove really well, but was loose enough that you could just feel it drifting through the turns. But when it got back into the pocket the acceleration was great, firing you back down the line ready to cutback again!






But good things never last, all of a sudden the wind picked up, starting off cross shore, but soon becoming on shore. What had been great peeling waves suddenly became a big frothy foaming mess. After spend too much time and far to much energy battling through the whitewater and not enough time on the waves I decided to call it quits. The surf may have turned a bit messy but my impression of the Rush 7'2" remains perfectly clear, a great comfortable boat, easy to paddle and on a wave awesome, it drove hard when I wanted it, but slid, slashed and carved with ease when asked.

It really is the first surf kayak that performs more like my ski, and the first surf kayak that makes me really want to own one! I love my ski, but at this time of year being out in the cold on the ski is horrid. I think I may well be ordering one very soon.